Tesla Name Quietly Removed from $400M Federal Contract

The US government just quietly removed Tesla's name from a $400M armored EV contract. Yeah, you read that right.

One day it was listed as "Armored Tesla," and then, boom, it's "Armored Electric Vehicles." No explanation, just a neat little edit after reports surfaced about Musk's growing influence in the government.

Source: Time

Let's break this down: The contract originally had Tesla's name on it, tied to a bizarre NAICS code for "miscellaneous food manufacturing" (seriously?), and then switched to "Armored Car Services". The same contract is now mysteriously up in the air, with officials saying Tesla hasn't won anything...yet. But why was Tesla even there in the first place?

Let's not be naive here. We’re talking about a government contract worth nearly half a billion dollars, and the only "interested" company just so happens to be a newly-formed firm with no history, no reputation, and no obvious reason to be the frontrunner for such a massive project. And what exactly is their plan? Buy Teslas, armor them up, and sell them back to Uncle Sam. Convenient, isn't it? If you think this sounds like a middleman scheme designed to distance Musk from a glaring conflict of interest, you're not alone.

Meanwhile, Musk is running the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) while simultaneously owning Tesla, SpaceX, and the social media platform that's supposed to be the beacon of "transparency." We're just supposed to trust that he’ll step aside if there's a conflict of interest? Really? Self-policing by billionaires has a long, rich history of...not working. Yet here we are, with the government essentially handing the fox the keys to the henhouse and hoping for the best.

And let's talk about timing. The name change came just after reports surfaced about Musk's cozy relationship with the administration and DOGE's growing power over federal budgets. Coincidence? Doubtful. This is classic shell-game politics. When the scrutiny ramps up, change the name, move the pieces around, and hope the public loses interest.

It gets better. The government claims this contract is meant to give small businesses a shot at competing for federal work. Yet here we have a ghost company with no track record potentially landing a $400M deal. How many actual small businesses got a fair shot at this? None, apparently.

This isn't just some random bureaucratic quirk. This is a masterclass in crony capitalism. Rebrand the deal, obscure the players, and pretend like it's all above board. 1990s Russia 2.0? We're living it.

Is this the new "efficient" America we're supposed to accept? Backdoor deals, shadowy contracts, and billionaires patting themselves on the back for their "transparency"? Or will the public finally wake up, connect the dots, and realize they're being played?

What do you think? Is this just business as usual, or is this a blatant setup for Musk to cash in while claiming "transparency"?

It’s wild how much gets hidden in plain sight, right? If you’re curious about uncovering trends and patterns faster, there’s a tool I’ve been using that’s been a game-changer. You can try it for free here: Trademind. Not sponsored, just thought you might find it useful!